Don't relax too much
by not-a-koala
Summary: Err... Toby and Molly like each other and don't know how to show it. Adventures in relaxing, excitement, fishing, romance, and danger!
1. Stuttering and Daydreaming

**Ch.1**

"Toby, you'll melt if you get any more relaxed." Molly said teasingly, giving Toby a playful shove. He chuckled, trying his hardest to seem composed. Molly was just…the most perfect little thing he'd ever seen. Of course she had her flaws, but as he came to like her, Toby easily overlooked them. Her airheaded-ness, overconfidence, and her habit to get herself caught in dangerous situations, were all swept under the carpet. She was always the go-go-go type, full throttle all the time. However, he did notice she had her "off" days, where she walked with less bounce in her step, giving only halfhearted waves to people. It worried him beyond all belief.

Molly waved a hand in front of his face, trying to figure out if he was asleep or in another one of those deep trances he had so often. She knocked on his forehead, which made him jump and smile, embarrassed. The farmer had never been one to be unfocused on the job at hand. However, she was more often catching herself gazing into nothingness. She would slap herself on the face a few times and continue to work. Every day, she went to buy some fish to make herself a simple and cheap meal with the money she made. She knew she could afford much better food, but… Someone there had caught her attention. A young man, who she mistook for an elderly _gentleman_, was actually a boy who looked about her age.

Of course she had realized that this island was very conveniently filled with handsome boys and lovely girls, as if it was some sort of breeding ground for attractive people. She was jealous, of course. Toby, on the other hand, seemed to be oblivious to such a matchmaking place. Love, romance, and things like that. He had no idea what to do with the strange emotions he felt when he saw Molly's face, when she smiled and waved to him as happy-go-lucky as usual.

At this point, both of them were staring at the ocean blankly, both thinking about the same thing, little to each other's knowledge.

"You need to learn how to slow down then, Molly. You've got to take in the scenery sometimes, y'know?" His voice was calm and quiet, almost inaudible most of the time. Toby leaned back. "You're always rushing around, being reckless, it makes me wor-" He stopped himself with a sad excuse for a cough, and straightened up.

"Did you say something, Toby?" Molly asked, looking curiously at him. His heart skipped one, two, three beats. She really needed to stop being so curious about him, it made his heart do backflips and throat tighten.

"No, n-nothing." _Darn. _He had never stuttered before he met her. All of his words came out slowly, cool, calm, and collected. Now, his words had decided to stumble and trip every time he talked to Molly. "It's getting late, you should be getting home, shouldn't you?" He mentally He punched himself in the face. _That came out all wrong_. Toby didn't mean to sound as harsh as he did.

Molly shrugged and smiled. "Make sure you don't stare into space when you're walking, or you'll hurt yourself. Maybe fall into the ocean without noticing. As she turned away, Molly felt her face grow hot, wondering if her concern seemed too overbearing, as if she was a mother hen. She shook her head violently, thinking, "_I came here to farm, not for love. Farming and ranching. That's why I'm here." _


	2. Idiotic

**Ch. 2**

Molly had begun an "off" day. Well, she was sick to her stomach and had the worst headache. Still, she felt she must tend to her farm regardless of her health and pain. Her steps and hands were unsteady, but she pushed on. "_Great, just great. The day I invite Toby to fish around __**my**__ farm is the day my body hates me. Wonderful." _Molly felt herself growing weaker. Nothing some water couldn't handle, right? She let herself believe that. One more swing of her sickle was what it took to make her knees wobble and give out beneath her. She felt herself falling, and heard a thud as she landed. Everything around her went black as she used her last bit of consciousness to curse at herself for being so stupid.

The fisherman, walking rather quickly for once, very eager to see Molly, nearly fainted himself when he saw her body in a crumpled heap in the patch of blooming tulips. A surge of overwhelming energy exploded within him as he sprinted to the collapsed Molly, her breath faint and her face terribly red. He put a hand to her forehead and quickly recoiled- her face felt as if it were on fire. Toby was in pieces, trying to decide if he should run for help, or stay with her. His hands were trembling far too much for him to carry her. Dropping Molly was a risk he didn't want to take. "_I could always drag her into her house…_"

He figured that that was the best idea he could muster, so he hooked his arms under Molly's and started to pull. Toby promised himself to never bring up to her that she was heavy or she'd have his head. Placing her on her bed and tucking her in was his first priority. Second was the insanely frantic searching for a bowl he could fill with water and a rag to dampen and put on her forehead. After much clattering and clanging as he desperately searched through (surprisingly) tidy cupboards, he finally found what he needed.

"You're going to be fine, just fine", he mumbled, unsure if he was referring to himself or to Molly. Toby turned her on her side, just in case she vomited in her deep sleep. He very, very closely monitored her breathing, her fever, her heart rate, everything. He was no doctor, of course, but he thought he was doing a pretty darn good job. This gave him a little bit of hope. Toby briefly considered calling the doctor, but he didn't want another boy, a bit older than him, being around Molly. He knew it was selfish, but…

"...Toby? Is that you?" a very weak voice asked, "Why are you here? Where am I?" Molly observed her surroundings, and very slowly realized that she was in her house, in her bed.

"You, you… idiotic girl…" Toby said with a deep sigh, a slight laugh behind it. He wish he could be mad at her, he really did, but the fact that she was breathing and awake was enough to extinguish that almost-anger. "You worked too hard again, until you fainted this time. I know you're reckless, but you took it a little too far this time, Molly. I told you that you needed to slow down and stop once in a while!" His words were coming out as if a dam had been broken. She looked at him, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry. Can I go back to sleep? I'm really tired." The exhausted beyond reason girl let her head drop back onto her pillow with a loud exhale.

"Not until you drink at least a glass of water, you're probably dehydrated too. Do you ever think about your health, de-". He had to stop himself again. Toby _really_ needed to stop keep his thoughts off his daydreams where they were married, and they called each other "dear" and "honey". "Just get a lot of rest, okay? I'm not leaving until you can eat, let alone walk a straight line."

The farmer turned on her side, hiding her face from Toby. Her face was a deep red, and her heart was fluttering. "Okay, stay as long as you want, then." Molly put in every bit of effort to keep the excitement out of her voice. Toby covered his face with his hands, pursing his lips to keep himself from whispering celebratory words to himself. Finally, at least one of his daydreams had come true- being able to care for her when she wasn't well. His second was the opposite of what had happened that day. He tilted his head back in thought, wondering exactly how he could get himself to fall ill. Bad idea? Yes. Worth it? Totally worth it.


	3. A Very Stupid Plan

Molly woke up to a very dim room. The curtains were closed and the lights were off. "_What time is it? Morning? Night?_" She rolled over to see a very drowsy Toby, who seemed to be nodding off every 30 seconds.

"Molly? Are you awake? Are you feeling any better?" Toby's eyes were wide open, an extreme rarity for him. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes to make sure what she was seeing wasn't an illusion.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What time is it, and…you're still here?" Molly asked, still in a bit of a daze.

"It's about eight in the morning, you were knocked out for a while." He replied slowly. Obviously his fatigue was getting the better of him, but it was for the greater good, of course.

"Then if I slept all night, and you stayed here, where did you sleep?" She asked, concerned.

"I didn't sleep. I couldn't stand to have my fishing partner d-dead or something." His attempt at trying to sound like he was joking had failed. At least in his opinion; Molly seemed to believe it. She started to sit up in bed, insisting that she should do the farm work, when Toby interrupted her. "I called Anissa and Kathy to help out; you need more rest than just a day's worth." Molly begrudgingly lied back down.

"You did all of that for me?" asked Molly, a curious look in her eyes. Toby had to look away from that _adorable_ expression to keep him from blushing. His pale skin couldn't hide redness, and he didn't have his hat on. Grabbing his hat suddenly to cover his face would be awkward, so looking away was his best bet. "Why are you all red? Did I get you sick that quickly? I can call the doctor if you'd li-"

"No!" Toby interjected. "I mean… it's kind of warm in here, that's all." "_Shoot. I could have gone with that."_ He thought. "Anyway, Kathy should be here soon, I should get going, I've got fishing to do, and they won't catch themselves." Before Molly had a chance to thank him, he had rushed out the door and closed it behind him. He was fanning his face with all of the energy he could muster to at least keep _some_ of the blush out of it. Toby had lied big time. The store didn't open that day and there were plenty of fish left. But then came the challenge of his life- to injure and/or get himself sick on purpose.

Molly still had a confused look on her face after he left, wondering why he had left so quickly. She chalked it up to his lack of sleep and shrugged it off. Drowsily, she walked to make some tea, to find that there was already a pot of it in the fridge. Smiling faintly, she poured herself some, and sat back down in bed to read. She heard Kathy and Anissa chatting outside as they worked, catching a few phrases like "sounded worried sick", and "really urgent".

Toby stood instead of the frigid ocean, staring straight ahead. "_Should I really jump in here?_" He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and jumped. The now drenched Toby was hyperventilating from the cold. He pulled himself out of the water and trudged back to fishery, shivering.

"Toby! What in the world happened to you?" Ozzie's gruff voice exclaimed, rushing toward him. "You're drenched!"

"I f-f-fell into the ocean while I was f-f-fishing." Toby sputtered out, coughing. _Step one complete. _


	4. Totally Worth it Though

While Toby shivered, already sick (to his delight, how pathetic), Molly had recovered almost completely. Or, at least enough to get up and do all of her work very slowly. She stopped to think why he had rushed out so suddenly, why he was so red, and why he was so worried. "_I fainted, not fell off a cliff._" Molly thought to herself, tapping her nose while wondering. She considered paying him a visit to make sure her sickness didn't _actually_ spread to him. Well, that, among other reasons.

When the concerned farmer poked her head into the fishery, she was quickly noticed by Ozzie. He gave her a knowing smile. "_Oh no, does he know that I…?_"

"He's in his room; I think he was waiting for you. He looks like something a cat would've dragged in. Apparently he fell off the dock while fishing yesterday or somethin'." Ozzie laughed. "Go ahead and see him, missy." Her eyes widened, and remembered that she had told him to focus and not space out so much. It didn't work, evidently.

She walked in to see a paler than usual Toby, eyes droopy and a slightly agape mouth. It was probably the most depressingly pathetic situation she had ever seen him in. She gave him an exasperated smile and shook her head.

"Who's the idiotic one now, hmm?" She asked softly, "I told you to focus while you were walking." Toby shifted his eyes guiltily, his expression sullen. "Pa-thetic". Ruffling his hair, she took a wild guess and asked him if he needed anything. "Lazy bum."

Molly walked out of his room to ask Ozzie what she could do. Before saying anything to her, he made sure Toby wasn't looking, and whispered into her ear, "He really likes green tea and steamed rice when he's sick. It's not that hard to make, but I think he'd like it better if you made it."

Toby bit his lip to keep him from grinning ear to ear. _"It worked, it worked, it worked!_" He covered his face with a pillow and thought about what he was doing. "_This is kind of a conniving plan…Never thought I would do something so drastic to get her attention. But…I want her attention for a little while. She owes me, right?_" A curious Paolo clambered onto his bed, swinging his legs off the side of the mattress.

"Whatcha covering your face for, Toby? You're thinking about that farmer girl, right?" Toby turned on his side, facing away from his cousin.

"It's Molly", he mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow. "And I'm just covering my face from the light. It has nothing to do with her." Paolo opened his mouth to protest that it was cloudy outside, and the lights in his room were turned off, but Toby cut him short. "Please leave me alone… You're making my headache worse." While Paolo took his leave to go search for seashells on the beach, Molly came in with what Ozzie had suggested.

"Is he asleep, Ozzie?" She whispered, leaning slightly to peek in his room. He shook his head. Molly sighed a breath of relief; it would be a shame if the food she cooked went cold. Upon hearing her voice, Toby's eyes shot open and he sat up a little too quickly, making his head pound. He shifted back downwards, regretting that rough motion. "I brought you some food that'll be easy on your stomach. Green tea is supposed to be good for your immune system or something, so I made some of that too." Toby's exhausted face formed a small smile.

"Thanks a lot…I really appreciate it." He said softly. Molly pulled a chair up beside the bed, and produced a damp washcloth from her bag.

"Just repaying the favor. Oh, do you need help sitting up? You can hardly lift an eyelid right now, let alone sit up on your own. You look as white as a sheet of paper." He nodded quickly. Molly shook her head in disappointment. "You're going to make your headache worse. I brought some aspirin for you to take after you eat too, just in case it gets too bad, okay?" At this point, Toby was having trouble keeping the red out of his face, and his breath steady. His caretaker pulled him up by his forearms, who remarked that he was too light for a grown man.

"Th-th-thanks. " He reached for the tea, hand trembling, partly from the fever, partly from nervousness. But mostly the nervousness part. Molly slapped his hand away (lightly, of course).

"You're gonna burn yourself if your hands are shaking like that! Wait until it cools down a little more or I'll have to spoon feed it to you" she half-joked. If he asked, she'd gladly do that for him. "I can't believe someone could get this sick from falling off the pier. Then again, it is pretty cold…" She mumbled, setting the tea aside, and handed him the rice to him. "Eat this first." The pale-as-paper boy blinked at her a few times.

"Would you..? The bowl is really heavy..." Toby was exaggerating almost beyond belief. He couldn't believe he was being so daring. "_Maybe, hopefully she'll think it's just because I'm delirious from the fever or something…_" Molly chewed her lip for a few moments before replying.

"Fine, fine. I guess I owe you, right?" She scooted the chair a little closer and told him to say "ah". He obliged without a doubt, blushing the least he could. "Once you're done, I gotta get back to work. The cows don't know how to make food from what I grow in my field." She averted her eyes so he couldn't see the slight disappointment in them.

After about 30 minutes, Toby had taken the medicine and finished his rice. Molly stood up and turned to make her way back to her farm. She got about two feet away when she felt a thin hand grab her wrist.

"Could you… stay here?" Molly rolled her eyes with a smile and turned around. Toby was staring straight at her, making the most pitiful face she'd ever seen.

"Alright, I'll call my friends to help, but I'm gonna owe them big time if this happens again." She warned. Resisting the miserable face Toby had on was nigh impossible.

"_It's still working! Making myself sick was so worth it, even though I feel like a slug._" Toby sunk back into his bed, satisfied. Molly propped her feet up on the edge of his bed, humming.


	5. All systems are go!

**Ch. 5**

"Feeling any better yet, Toby?" Molly asked, leaning over him, who was slowly but surely waking up. "You slept in, by the way. I took a chance to go back to my place and take care of my animals and crops." The whitish sunlight on his face was… "_No, don't even think about it. Stop staring. Stop staring right now._"

"Did you sleep at all?" Toby inquired in a weary voice. He put his hands above his eyes to block the sunlight from them. Glancing at his "nurse", Toby blinked at her a few times, hoping that it would be a good enough hint for her to close the blinds.

"Ah, sorry! I thought a little sunlight would do you good, but I guess you still have a headache. I have more medicine if you need it. And I asked how you were doing, don't worry about me." She pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're still feverish. How exactly did you manage to fall off the dock you fish from every day?" Toby chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to think of a reasonable excuse.

"It was a really big fish, and I had to stand up to reel it in. I managed to pull it onto the dock, but it was so heavy, it hurled me right into the ocean." "_Good enough._" That is, he thought it was.

"A giant fish? Can I see it?" a now very curious Molly asked him. "_Shoot._" Toby thought, cursing to himself in his mind in words much more vulgar than just "shoot."

"Oh! Uh… We cooked and ate it so I could have something warm to eat before I went to bed." He was biting his tongue nervously. Molly sighed and told him how it was a shame she couldn't have eaten any.

"Listen, I really have to get back to working. Your fever has gone down low enough that you can function. I made some soup for you; it's in your fridge. Eat it when you're ready, alright?" He smiled at her earnest worry about him, and her determination to go back to being full-throttle Molly again. But he didn't want her to leave.

"But… I want you to stay a little longer." Toby whined weakly. Molly shook her head and tsk'ed at him.

"I can't be your nurse forever, Toby. But I'll tell you what. I'll come visit you after I'm done with my work until every day until you're better, got it? Don't go off falling into oceans. Or a river or a pond- just don't get yourself sick again like that. It makes me worry about you." The words just rolled off her tongue, unlike Toby, who couldn't bring himself to tell her that he worries her a lot as well. Molly stood up, stretched, and left the fishery. Toby got out of his bed to check the fridge for that soup Molly had promised she made for him. It was there, thankfully. He knew that Paolo was a bit of a food moocher.

"You're awfully fond of that Molly girl, aren't ya Toby?" Ozzie asked offhandedly, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Toby felt his face begin to turn pink. "She's a good girl, that Molly. She sat by your bed into the wee hours of the night making sure your fever wasn't goin' any higher. I gave her some strong coffee at about six in the morning cause she was still up watching you. She gulped that coffee down in a heartbeat and went right back to your side." At that point, Toby's face was entirely red, though he was looking at the ground and shuffling his feet.

"Will you keep this a secret, Ozzie? I…didn't 'fall' off the dock. I jumped on purpose so…so Molly would take care of me. Don't tell anybody, especially not her." Ozzie patted the red faced boy on the back.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. She seems to care about you a whole lot too. She had this big old grin slapped on her face when she told me that your fever went down. You'd better grab her while you can, boy. That apprentice over in the mine district seems to have taken a shine to her." Toby gulped and nodded.

"_Now, how exactly am I gonna get her attention next time? There's got to be another way that didn't involve making myself ill. Wait, there's that festival coming up, the fireworks one. I just need to beat Luke to the punch if I want to ask her._" What Toby was trying to push out of his mind, though, was his nearly crippling shyness. He could hardly ask her to go fishing with him without stuttering. He'd have to get advice from somebody nice, considerate, and understanding. "_Colleen, she would be able to help me out. I see Molly talking with her all the time too…_" Toby changed into some clothes appropriate for going outside, and headed toward the inn.


	6. Shock and Awe

**Ch. 6**

As she worked on finishing up pulling up weeds, Molly couldn't keep thinking about Toby, to her dismay. She honestly felt bad for taking off so quickly, but she _did_ have work to do and he _was_ looking less sick. A sigh blew out of her lips and she continued to work. "_Not good at all. These feelings couldn't be 'like' or 'love'. I'm…just a good friend, that's all._" A very confused and somewhat angered Molly thought. She knew she was just in denial, but she really had no time for things like that. She had too much work to do and affection would get in her way, and break her concentration.

With a shaking hand, the silver haired fisherman pushed open the door to the inn. It wasn't often that he went there; the place seemed kind of foreign to him. Thankfully, it wasn't the "lunch rush" hour, so it was relatively empty, save Simon and Barbara, out on one of their rare dates. Toby felt a little pang of jealousy seeing the happy couple, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"Anything you need, darlin'?" Colleen asked. She didn't treat anyone like a stranger; she just welcomed them as if they were all family to her. "Don't see you around here often, Toby!" He smiled and waved nervously at her. Colleen referred to everybody as "dear", "darling", "hon", and other kind pet names.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could give me some advice…I would like it if I could talk to you privately about it?" Toby stared at the ground embarrassingly. She nodded and smiled the warmest smile anybody could imagine. He could see why Molly liked talking to her. The cook took him into the break room behind the kitchen, which was absolutely empty. "_Thank goodness._"

"It's about a girl, right?" Colleen winked. "Actually, I have a hunch of who it is, but I won't pressure you about it, hon." Toby gulped and nodded, staring at his feet again, the maroon creeping back onto his face. "No need to be nervous! I won't tell a soul. Besides, I know _all_ about love troubles. In fact, Molly comes to talk to me about them all the ti-" she stopped short and covered her mouth with both of her hands. Toby tilted his head questioningly.

"She comes to you to talk about that kind of stuff? Who does she talk about?" All of the words were rushing out of his mouth without stop, momentarily not caring about his calm demeanor. His head was swirling with curiosity, surprise, anxiety, and a little bit of excitement. Okay, a lot of excitement.

"You seem pretty curious about her, darling! I had a feeling it was her that you wanted to talk about Molly. Can I tell you a big secret?" Toby nodded quickly. "Most of the people on town have realized that you've taken an interest in her." The red- no, crimson faced Toby winced in humiliation. "But! There's also a rumor going around that Molly has a bit of a crush on you too." His eyes snapped wide open (which, for some reason, had been happening more often).

"Th-then what do I do about it? I know that th-there's that fireworks festival, but I heard that Luke likes her a lot too. I'll never ask M-Molly in time…" Toby cursed at himself inwardly as he stuttered.

"You know what girls like a lot?" Toby shook his head ashamedly. "Flowers! They adore flowers. I know Molly does; she brings some to me all the time. I'd give her some…" Colleen tapped her lips, thinking. "…Lilies. You should give her some pretty often, you know, to butter her up a bit. I use them to decorate here, but I have a lot of extras. I'll give you some to give to her." She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a few out, pulled a shiny ribbon from her pocket, and tied a small bouquet of flowers together in about thirty seconds flat. Handing it to Toby, she smiled. "Tell me how it goes, sweetheart. Be brave!"

Toby swiftly went and back to the fishery, the flowers in a very tight grip. "_The sun is setting; she should be done with work soon. How am I going to do this?_" His sloppily made bed creaked as he collapsed onto it. Breaths were coming out of him at about a million miles per hours as he heard Molly say a cheerful "hello!" to Pascal. He heard her footsteps getting closer, and he drummed his fingers rapidly on his nightstand, shaking all over. Molly poked her head around to see Toby shaking like a leaf.

"Oh no! You're shaking all over! Did your fever get worse? You're redder than before-" She was cut short by the lilies in front of her.

"F-f-for taking care of me yesterday. I want you to h-have these." Molly blushed and took the flowers politely with a smile, surprising Toby. He didn't expect her to blush at all. Then again, Colleen did bring up that rumor.

"Thank you so–so-so-so much! How did you know these were my favorite, Toby?" She was smiling the widest smile he had ever seen her make. Toby scratched his head, searching his mind for an explanation.

"Oh, j-just a hunch, I guess. Anyway, I was wondering…" He trailed off, sure that Molly didn't hear him. She didn't.

"Hey, the fireworks festival is coming up, d'you wanna come with me? I was thinking of asking you, but these flowers sealed the deal!" Toby's stomach was flipping in every direction, and he broke out into a completely uncontrollable grin, one that Molly had never seen before.

"I'd love to, thanks." Much to his surprise, she planted a tiny peck on his cheek, earning him a wide stare and a slightly dropped jaw.

"Great! I can't wait! Seeya 'round Toby!" "_Oh geez, I can't believe I just did that! I told myself time and time again that I wouldn't get myself involved in love. But I guess there's no use in fighting it anymore…I like him a lot. A lot a lot._"

Toby sat in the same position for about five minutes with his hand to his cheek in sheer shock. He got up to go tell Ozzie, running into a wall in the process.

"Molly, she... she… a-asked me to go to the fireworks festival and then sh-sh-she kissed me on the cheek." Ozzie clapped a few times.

"Congratulations, m'boy! Your dreams are coming true, aren't they?" Toby nodded blankly, and walked back to his room, where he fell backwards onto his bed. He pounded his fist into his chest a few times and grinned goofily, staring at the ceiling.

"She said yes…" Toby mumbled.


	7. Adventures in Baking

**Ch. 7**

Fireworks didn't really interest Toby, but it was at least a date with his crush. He was willing to endure the flashing lights, the smell of sulfur, and the noise, all for Molly. That girl, on the other hand, loved fireworks, as he had noticed last year. She had been the one to holler and whistle as they went off, and applaud loudly at the end. But Toby? Toby preferred to plug his ears and attempt to sleep, and maybe help himself to some free food. Paolo would go play with sparklers and party poppers with Molly, and came back covered in sand and smelled of ashes. Bells jingled as the fishery door opened; it was about six in the evening. Her farm work had been finished, and Toby had been looking forward to it all day. He smiled at her and sat up with very little trouble.

"Sorry that I'm kind of late! One of my cows wasn't cooperating with me. I'll just say that some hooves were involved. See?" She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a _pretty_ big bruise. "I was gonna go to the clinic, but I can move it just fine, so no need!" After flinching, Toby reached out to get a better look at it, and gently pushed on it which, in turn, caused Molly's arm to recoil quickly. "It still hurts Tobes, don't touch it!" she said with a frown.

"T-Tobes?" That wasn't a nickname he had heard before. "When did you come up with that nickname, Molly?" he asked, looking up at her with a confused look on his faced. She shrugged.

"Dunno, I just came up with it yesterday. It's pretty cute, don't you think? Sitting on his bed (too close for Toby's comfort), she put her hand on his forehead. "Fever's gone. Congratulations! We should throw a little party for you. Just you, me, Paolo, and Ozzie! I don't wanna brag, but I'm a pretty good baker." She winked. "How does… chocolate cake with strawberry jelly sound?" Her eyebrows furrowed a bit. "I know you mostly like fishy stuff since you work here, but I bet some sweet stuff would be a good change of pace."

"Sounds great, Molly." He glanced to see if his family was watching before asking the next question. "Are we… still going to the fireworks festival?" With a giggle, Molly ruffled his hair.

"Of course! I never cancel plans, especially if it's with you." Her lips pursed after she realized what she had just said. She turned her head, blushing. "Err, I mean… Never mind. It would be weird to explain to you." A chuckle sounded from the other room. "_Shoot._ _Of course he knows, he's like some sort of prophet. Better than the wizard himself!_" The awkward air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Toby coughed in an attempt to end the silence.

"That's good then. It's tomorrow, right? Oh, and about the cake…When are you going to make it?" He mumbled as his stomach rumbled. Cake, especially hers, sounded like the best thing at the moment. Actually, he'd probably eat anything she cooked. Except for bananas. Bananas were a no-go. Molly poked his belly.

"Hungry already, eh? I'll see what I can do, but I'll need your help if you want to have it by tonight." Toby agreed without thinking; he was a terrible cook, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "Alrighty. Pajamas are enough to cook in, let's go!" An electric shock went through his body when she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed.

"Ah, okay, I'll help you cook!" His feet were sliding on the floors due to her forceful pulling. "But I need to put shoes on first. Skidding along the floor, he managed to slip his feet into some sandals. Molly's strength was surprising. Then again, she did swing around axes and hammers all day, giving her quite muscular arms. Toby's eyes widened when he realized that she was still grabbing his hand and not letting go.

"Hurry up, Tobes!" He winced at his new nickname. My farm is like ten minutes away walking, we gotta get there fast!" Running was not Toby's forte and never was. He was already out of breath when they reached her house. Molly, however, was only panting a little bit. "Is running really that tough?" she questioned, laughing. He nodded exasperatingly, trying to catch his breath with his hands on his knees. Molly grabbed him by his warm and pulled him into her surprisingly nice house. He expected the house of a farmer to be muddy and smell like grass. However, the floors were immaculate; her bed was made, along with a dog bed, which had a blanket neatly folded inside of it.

"Your house is really clean. I expected it to be kind of… dusty. You know, since you're out in the dirt all day." Toby said quietly, slowly walking over to the clean and shiny kitchen.

"Surprising, right? At the end of the day, I'd rather not come home to a dirty old house. It was my first priority to clean this place from top to bottom. I repainted it, scrubbed the floor by hand got rid of the musty old mattress, etcetera." She gestured at the oven and bowls she had already set up. "Well, let's get started. I've got all the ingredients right here."

"Looks intimidating." He stated, eyeing everything on the counter. To tell the truth…I have no idea how to bake." Molly's face lit up. Confused by her expression, he asked, "Why does that make you happy?"

"Because I can teach you how to bake…rookie! Okay, so, can you crack the eggs into this bowl for me? I'll pick out the shells when you mess up…I mean, if you mess up." She shoved a few eggs and a bowl his way. By the time they had finished up the cake batter, Toby's was dusted with flour; his fingers coated in it. "Ha! You look like some sort of mutant snowman!" Molly only had a little bit of batter on her nose, very clean compared to the terrible baker beside her. Toby glanced at the still fairly full bag of flour, then at her. "You wouldn't." He nodded while he grabbed a handful of flour. Bowls clattered around on the counter as she slowly moved backwards until she was backed into a corner. She squeezed her eyes shut, and felt a _little more_ than a handful of flour on her head. Her head was absolutely covered in flour.

"That's for calling me Tobes." He saw Molly observing an egg in her hand. "No. No. You would never do this to your fishing partner, right?" Mimicking his actions, Molly nodded and cracked the egg over his head. They continued their food fight, and ended up looking like cakes themselves by the end.

"Well, I guess the cake is done." Molly said, rubbing some flour off of her mouth. "And you better not start lobbing more eggs and strawberries at me while I'm decorating the cake." Toby nodded, a hint of disappointment in his face. "I'm serious!" He watched as she expertly decorated the cake, blushing as she realized that she was working so hard on this cake that was for _him. _His head perked up when she asked if he wanted to eat the cake with her or at home. He, of course, said that he wanted to stay and eat it with her.

Covered in eggs, flour, and cocoa powder, they enjoyed the cake, telling pleasant stories, not a hint of awkward silence between them. This was the type of conversation they enjoyed. Before they knew it, they had finished the entire cake, both very full. Molly glanced at the clock on her wall, and realized it was fairly late- 10:30 at night.

"I should probably get going. Paolo and Ozzie get paranoid if I'm gone too long." Toby chuckled. "I'm not sure how I'm going to explain my filthiness."

"I'll walk you home. This place is pretty hard to navigate at night." Molly said, sounding rather concerned. Toby nodded, and they walked down the path, flicking the clumps of hardened flour at each other. Both of them were exhausted, especially Molly, who had been up since six in the morning. By the time they got to the fishery, her feet were dragging and she yawned every five minutes or so. She leaned against the wall next to the window, fanning her face. Toby saw this as a great opportunity to do something he had been wanting to do for two years.

He grabbed her hands, pinning her to the wall as gently as he could. Her eyes widened in confusion as he leaned in slowly. Toby's heart jumped when he saw her eyes flutter shut. Their lips were a centimeter away from each of other when the door next to them was thrown open to reveal a worried looking Ozzie. He seemed confounded by the ghostly Toby pinning the ghostly Molly against the wall.

"There you are Toby! I was about to close up shop without you!" Toby and Molly's eyes flew open and they stepped away from each other with irritated sighs. That moment would have to wait. Maybe tomorrow would be the day.


	8. Bloody Noses and Fireworks

**Ch. 8**

**Author's note- Argh, I hated making Luke the rival! I love all of the bachelors and I had to pick one that was the polar opposite of Toby. Luke was the most obvious choice- loud, outgoing, etc. Also, long chapter, hooray! You guys are so lucky that I'm happy today. :P**

Molly, pinned to the wall, was not sure what to do in that situation. Ozzie was right there, staring, and the situation could not have looked any more awkward. She and Toby both had a "deer in headlights" look in their eyes as they slowly looked over to the man who had ruined the moment. It had to have been the most bizarre thing for anybody to see. If only a cricket would chirp to make the moment just a _little bit_ less uncomfortable.

"Toby, Molly, how did you end up like that? You're covered in who-knows-what, and look like a couple of ghosts." They, faces cherry red, both explained in a jumble of words of their adventure of cake baking that erupted into a food fight.

"I think I should be getting back to my house to clean up…everything. See you tomorrow at six! ... Tobes." She shot him an evil grin at him. Toby hurriedly walked into his room before Ozzie could question his nickname. He desperately needed a shower and time to think. Scratch that- time to _panic_. His closet was full of the things he wore every day. Hats, pants, jackets, shirts, and shoes were pretty much all he had in his wardrobe. Julius was somewhat of a fashion expert, but he'd rather not show up _too_ fancy. After all, he'd be on the beach, which isn't the most sanitary of places.

Molly had the same questions running through her head as she walked home. "_What do I wear? How do I act? What do I do?_" She would have to look nice, of obviously. Unlike Toby, Molly had a closet full of clothes, but to her dismay, nothing seemed to please her for a...a... a date. A date! Dates were completely foreign to her! She made a mental note to herself to visit Candace ASAP the next morning. Candace would know what to do; she was friends with Julius.

"Wake up _Tobes_, you slept in. It's ten in the morning already." Paolo said, jumping on his bed. Apparently Paolo had learned of it too. "_Thanks Ozzie._" Toby thought to himself. "You're gonna be late for your DATE with Molly!" A pillow hit Paolo square in the face, causing him to tumble backwards onto his bed. "Geez, no need to get all riled up about it." Toby immediately jumped into action. Hair needed to be combed; face needed to be washed until it was nearly raw; fishy smell had to get scrubbed completely away.

Molly had already been up for four hours when Toby was sleeping. She silently cursed him for having a more laid-back lifestyle than she did. Those four hours were used on tilling the ground, planting every seed she had, and watering them. She was pretty darn tired by the end of it, but the show must go on. There was no way she was going to faint this time. No headaches, no stomachaches, and no fever. All she had left to do was feed her animals and she'd be set to frantically run to Candace. As she walked panting into her chicken coop, she noticed that one of her hens wasn't moving nor breathing.

"Clucky? Are you alright? C'mon, wake up!" Molly shook the hen gently, patted her on the head, anything to get her to come to. To her dismay, there was no hope. Her first and favorite hen had died of old age. Molly's eyes were already flooded with tears, gripping her hair with her hands and rocking back and forth. How would she explain to Toby that she would be upset during the festival? Nothing was going to stop her from going, not even a tragedy such as this. She gently placed Clucky on the ground and went through the rest of her chores slowly, finishing at about one in the afternoon.

Dirt flew in every direction as she shoveled a hole to serve as her chicken's grave. Her face was still red, but the tears had dried up. No more tears would leave her; she had run out. She was done in mere minutes to just get it over with. _Thump_. Molly was on her knees to say a few words akin to something she would say at a proper funeral. After that ordeal, she dashed to the shower, and scrubbed herself hard so hard that she was completely red by the end of it. She quickly dried off sprinted to the tailor's.

"Molly! Why do you look so tired…and sad?" Candace stood up and rushed over to her and grasped Molly's arms. "Did something happen?" Molly nodded and explained the situation to her. "Oh, that's terrible! And you still want to go to the fireworks festival?"

"I promised –hic- Toby I would go with him –hic- and I don't want to let him down." She rubbed her eyes. "I was wondering if you could find me something –hic- to wear to see him." With a nod, Candace put an arm behind Molly's back reassuringly and led her to a wide rack of clothes. "Something pretty. I want to –hic- impress him."

"Okay, so a summery color would be great for you." Candace held up a casual orange chiffon dress. "I think orange will look nice on you… And the color will make you happier." She added quietly. Molly smiled gently.

"You're the best Candace. I hope he'll like it too. He's never seen me dress up all pretty…Maybe this will knock him out like how Phoebe made Calvin knock out by wearing a red dress on a date." She giggled a little. This made Candace smile and tell her that she'd look "absolutely stunning". Thumps were heard and the smell of sulfur began to waft through the window, which Molly swiftly closed.

"How about we start getting you ready? The festival is in about an hour. I'll have Luna do your makeup because I never wear any." Candace handed her the dress. "Go put this on, I'll find some shoes for you, okay?"

The dress fit perfectly; it wasn't too tight or too loose. Molly swished the dress, smiling at her reflection. She had never seen herself look so pretty in her entire life. Luna, who had just strolled out of her bedroom audibly gasped when she saw the dress-clad farmer. She motioned toward Candace for her to come and see. Candace was nervous to see if her dress selection was a good enough fit for Angela. To her delight, it was absolutely wonderful. She covered her mouth, and dropped the white shoes that she was holding.

"I've never seen Molly like this! You'd never think she would be a farmer if you saw her like this! So who's the lucky guy, hmm?" Luna asked, played with the dress in case alterations needed to be made. Molly looked at the floor shyly and told Luna. "Really? Toby? Toby the fisherman? He like, never talks! Unless he only talks to you, Molls."

"Oh shoot! It's five forty-five! No time for makeup, I have to go!" She quickly put on the white sandals and dashed out of the tailor's, leaving the sisters dumbfounded, wondering how somebody could move that fast. During all of this hysteria, Toby's heart was beating out of his chest as he sat in bed. He took a deep breath and walked outside to see a Molly he'd never seen before looking around, presumably for him. His face was redder than it had ever been. Molly smiled and walked over to him, just as nervous as he was.

"Y-you look… r-r-really nice tonight M-Molly." Toby stuttered. He honestly couldn't help himself from staring at her, continuously getting shyer. "W-well, the show is going to start soon…" Molly nodded at started to walk to the beach, Toby close behind her.

"Ohh… Everybody here is dressed so casually, I must look way overdressed." She sighed. They sat on the beach about a foot away from each other, shifting uncomfortably. The sun was setting, and Molly began to remember when she first got Clucky. She was the "runt" of the hatch that Molly kept by her bedside, the runt that woke Molly up in the middle of with its hungry peeps, the runt that she kept warm in her sweater on cold days, and the runt that would try to steal her food. Tears started to form in Molly's eyes as more memories bounced around in her head until she could barely see the fireworks. All she saw was bright lights that looked as if they were melting. Toby noticed this as he heard sniffling to the left of him.

"Molly? What happened?" He scooted closer to her. "Why are you crying? Did something bad happen?" She nodded slowly and turned to look at him, face tear stained.

"My first chicken died this morning…Clucky is gone forever…" Molly rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Toby reached out a shaking hand to catch a few stray tears from her cheek, and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. "I miss her a lot, Toby." Suddenly, Toby was thrown backwards by a gloved hand that then gripped Molly's shoulder. A blue haired boy dropped to his knees to stare Molly in the eyes.

"The fish dork made you cry! I'll make him pay for that, don't worry, Molls." Luke cracked his knuckles and landed a rather hard punch right between Toby's eyes. The fisherman raised a hand to his nose, pulled it away, and noticed his hand was stained with blood. His eyes widened at the sight of it. Toby was not one to fight back. Molly, however…

"Luke! You idiot!" She yelled, pulling the carpenter to his feet by his collar. "He didn't do anything! And Toby isn't a dork- he's one of the best people I've ever met." She started to slap his face over and over in an almost comical fashion, and pushed him to the ground. Molly ran to Toby's side. "You're okay right, Tobes? Oh no, your nose! It's bleeding everywhere! I'm gonna take you to your house and fix your nose up." Toby stumbled a bit as she pulled him to the ground and gently guided him away from the confused the crowd into the fishery. He directed her to the bathroom where she grabbed a few towels and dampened them. Her tears were no longer of grief, but of fear.

"You know, you look stunning today, Molly." Toby said without, without stuttering. Molly blushed as he raised the slightly less bloody hand to her face. She didn't care about her cleanliness; she just wanted Toby to be okay. He was staring at her with a dazed look on his face, probably woozy from the punch. His crush paused and looked down at him, equally as red as he was. They stared fixedly at each other, both with unreadable expressions. There was still blood on lips left from his nosebleed, but neither of them cared as they realized what was transpiring.

Toby smiled as Molly leaned down very slowly. _Too_ slowly. Ignoring his dizziness, he stood up quickly to seal the distance between them, giving Molly the shock of her life. Her eyes shot open, but slowly closed them as she relaxed. All of the feelings they had bottled up for two years finally escaped in the few seconds that they softly kissed; very chastely, appropriate for them both. They opened their eyes in unison, both mouths slightly bloody, evoking a laugh from Molly.

"Sorry I never told you before, but I really, really like you, Toby. The things that happened over the past few weeks made me realize it…" She said quietly, and resumed washing his face.

"So am I your boyfriend now?" Toby asked, a bit smugly. Molly chuckled, nodded, and ruffled his hair like she always did.

"How about we just go out for dinner next time? You know, as a real date." She asked. "Tomorrow for sure. Oh, you have a black eye too! That really was a strong punch. I'll get you some ice for it, and then go rest on the bed. I'll stay here with you, boyfriend." She savored the taste of what she could call him after so long. Toby grabbed her wrist, and Molly turned to look at him, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Thanks… for everything. You're the best girlfriend I could ever hope for." He beamed at her, and looked like the happiest boy alive. His girlfriend smiled widely and kissed him on the forehead. She scolded him jokingly, telling him that he'd never get better if he was being too energetic. Toby went to lie down on his bed, an anxious but overjoyed Molly in tow, carrying a damp towel and an ice pack. The rickety chair she had spent days on taking care of him felt all too familiar, and the happy couple laughed at the sudden turn of events. Once he was properly set up, ice below his eye and the cool towel on his forehead, Molly rubbed his arm soothingly and smiled faintly.

"Let's hope tomorrow's date goes better, honey." She giggled at the name she had given him. Toby blushed and nodded, and quickly fell asleep. "_Finally._"


	9. The Best Bad Idea Ever

**Ch. 9**

**Author's Note: Ugh, I made SO many typos in the last chapter! I forgot to proofread and things turned out horrible. Nobody would believe that English is my first language. Bah. **

Sunlight shone through Toby's bedroom window to wake him up, revealing a sleeping Molly. She was sitting in the chair she was on last night with her head on the food of his bed. A lukewarm bag of what used to be ice slid off of his face as he sat up and plopped onto the floor. Unfortunately, the impact made it burst and spill water all over. He stroked her hair lightly, happy that she was finally his. It turned out Molly was a very light sleeper, and the slight contact woke her up with a jolt. Toby winced at the sudden movement.

"Wha… How did I get here?" She crinkled her nose in pain because of the soreness in her neck. Sleeping like that would give anyone a neck cramp. "..Oh. Your nose! It looks a whole lot better. But your eye… it's seen much better days." She pulled a hand mirror from her bag. "Here, take a look. Awful, isn't it?" Toby leaned in closer to the mirror and recoiled from his reflection. That couldn't possibly be him. He looked like a zombie!

"That can't be me, Molly. It didn't hurt that much yesterday. But now I feel like I have a boulder or something on my eye." The black and blue faced boy grimaced. Molly shook her head and sighed. The memories of the fireworks festival quickly came back to him, from Molly's dress (which she was still wearing) to Luke's punch. He blushed as he remembered what happened when she was cleaning his face, and as if she had read his mind, Molly kissed him on the forehead lightly.

Molly was so happy to have the privilege to hold his hand and be as affectionate as she wanted with him. Her farm work had become much easier because she could stop worrying if he liked her or not. From that night, she and Toby were attached at the hip. They ate lunch together, dinner together, fished together, and napped together. Toby refused to work on the farm; he said his body was "too weak" for hard labor. At this, Molly would smile widely and punch him affectionately in the arm. The villagers giggled at how he blushed when Molly kissed him on the cheek, but the couple didn't seem to care. Instead, they would laugh. As months dragged on, they never grew apart. Toby and Molly were stuck together wherever they went.

Of course, they had little arguments about which quickly blew over when Molly made him a cake and gave him a big bear hug. What they fought about was always petty, and lasted about a day. Both of them would sulk and ignore each other, but they knew one was waiting for the other to apologize. Due to Toby's shyness, Molly did most of the fight resolving with her silliness and cooking finesse. One day, Toby was awoken by three knocks on the door. To his surprise, it was someone he hardly saw- Mira. **(A/N: You can probably see where this is going)**

"Er-hem. Toby? I've noticed that you and Molly have spent a _lot_ of time together lately, and I've got something to tell you." Toby drowsily nodded. "Well, there's this tradition we have here on Castanet Island. People are proposed to with blue feathers instead of rings. Yesterday, I saw a blue bird fly overhead and it dropped this." Mira said with an almost melancholy smile. She produced a pristine blue feather from her skirt pocket. "I know that Molly wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger by going to the top of the mine to get it. So, plan out your proposal if you must. Goodbye and good luck!"

Toby stared blankly at the feather in his hands, heart pounding. This was his chance to finally propose. Problem was; he had no idea how to do so. His first thought was to consult Colleen, who had helped jump start his relationship with Molly. He ran inside to hide it in a drawer where it would stay safe. Keeping it in his pocket would be too risky; Toby had to keep it absolutely perfect. He bolted out of the door, to Ozzie's befuddlement, and arrived panting at the inn door. Toby still wasn't accustomed to running- not in the slightest. Colleen jumped a little at the boy suddenly bursting through the door, an urgent look on his face.

"I found… the blue feather, and…, and I have no idea how to… give it to Molly." Toby told Colleen between his panting. Colleen put her hand over her mouth and smiled.

"Oh my! You're planning to propose? Darling, that's something you have to figure out yourself. Proposing to the one you love is something that you should do without advice. It'll come naturally dear, don't worry."

Toby sat on his bed for hours wondering how he would 'pop the question'. He wracked his mind for ways to get her attention. Something that would bring back memories to her, something that would make her smile… He sat up quickly as he remembered what had gotten her to stay with him for a long time. Toby ran outside at full speed and jumped into the frigid ocean with a smile on his face.


	10. Burn

**Ch. 10**

The floor of the fishery was suddenly covered in water as Toby stepped inside, coughing. He wrung out his jacket, flooding the ground even more, angering Ozzie.

"Did you 'fall' into the ocean again? And why do you have that smug look on your face, boy?" Without a word, Toby grabbed Ozzie by the arm and dragged him to where he was keeping the blue feather, and pulled it out.

"…This. –cough- I'm going to give it to Molly by getting sick all over again. Think it'll work?" Toby looked at the feather and smiled. His uncle sighed and patted Toby's shoulder.

"You've changed, m'boy. If you think it'll work, go ahead on try. She'd probably accept no matter how you do it." Ozzie gave him the slightly gap-toothed grin. "Go ahead and call her after you change clothes, she'll be worried sick." He left the room to play with the bored Paolo, leaving Toby, still drenched and freezing cold, standing still with a dumbfounded look on his face. Sighing, he changed into warm clothes and called Molly with the phone next to his bed, and terribly feigned a sick voice.

"Jingle Farm residence, this is Molly speaking! Who is this?" Molly asked, twirling the telephone cord.

"Molly?" Toby asked, plugging his nose to sound sicker. "I fell into the ocean again…" he coughed and sniffled. Toby heard Molly gasp on the other line.

"Oh no! I'll be right over with some food for you, Tobes! You sit tight, okay?" She hung up before he could get another word in. Molly wondered how someone could fall into the ocean more than once. "_Another giant fish, I guess. That, or he spaced out when he was walking again._" She decided that the latter was more likely, and continued to cook the soup she was working on. The tea kettle started to screech from the other side of the kitchen causing Molly to jump, and tip the pot of hot soup onto her leg. She couldn't keep herself from screaming in pain at the top of her lungs and fall to the floor, hitting her head hard on the side of the counter, rendering herself unconscious. **(A/N: I seem to have a **_**thing**_** for injuring characters for them to be rescued. Maybe because it's a morbid fantasy of mine –weep-) **

Toby looked at the clock. It had been an hour since he had called her. A fleeting thought of her being injured (again) caused him to jump to his feet, grab his coat, and start to walk away. Right as he was about to leave, he heard the phone ring, and he turned on his heel to go answer it. He couldn't help but be worried. After all, they were both worrywarts, especially about each other. Toby picked up the phone swiftly to hear a familiar voice. He scratched his head as he tried to place it. That's right, it was Luke. He scowled as heard the carpenter's voice.

"Hey, fish dork! Come to the clinic, and real fast! Molly has this wicked red burn on her leg! I was on my way back home from Fugue Forest and I heard her scream super loud, so I dropped all my stuff and barged right in to see if she was alright. So I got in there and there was this big pot of soup on the ground right by her leg and she was knocked out cold. She's waking up and she's asking to see you." He was blabbering a million miles a minute, just as worried as Toby was. If Luke hadn't heard her, Molly could have been out for much longer.

Toby dropped the phone in shock; his hands trembling incredibly badly. He paused for a moment, and looked over at the blue feather on his dresser. "_Is this really the right time? Maybe I shouldn't… no, I have to do this. It's a pretty unconventional time to propose, but…_" He shoved the feather into his jacket pocket, put on his sandals, and was out of the door in what seemed like a second. Choral Clinic wasn't far away, but then, it seemed like it was a mile down the road. The dim street lights didn't help very much, because Toby was constantly tripping on the cracks of the sidewalk. He flung the clinic door open and asked where Molly was between gasps. Irene, who was normally cool and collected, hurried him to where his future fiancée was. Jin's grandmother's hands were shaking like Toby's.

"Prepare yourself for a pretty gruesome scene, Toby. Try not to panic. Molly is going to be fine; she's more worried about you than she is about herself." Irene shook her said. "Your name was the first thing she said when she started to wake up." She opened the curtain to reveal a miserable looking girl, who couldn't possibly be Molly. Her leg was bright red from her knee down and she was crying from the pain. The leg was wrapped in cling wrap, because "a cloth would get stuck to the burn and irritate it". When Toby got to her bed, he collapsed onto the chair, breathing rapidly.

"To…by? Is that you?" Her eyes slowly opened, and smiled a tiny smile. "I'm so sorry…I just wanted to make you some soup…" She reached out a hand to clasp his. "But I'm glad you came to see me." Toby's free hand rose up to touch his face. Tears. They were coming out of his eyes faster and faster until he dropped his head onto her bed and started to sob. "Toby…You're crying. Are you alright?" He shook his head; face still buried on the bed. Toby relaxed slightly, very slightly, when she started to stroke his silver hair and tell him that she was okay. He shook his head again.

"I shouldn't have pretended to be sick. I just wanted you to take care of me, and this happened! I was going to give you…" Toby dug around in his pocket and pulled the feather out. "…this." He sat up a little bit, his face still red from crying, and placed the blue feather by her hand. Molly's eyes widened.

She started to laugh harder and harder, a wide and warm smile on her face. It was as if the pain from the burn had vanished in that moment. Her laughing faded into bawling as she sat up, but the grin was still plastered to her face. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it until it felt like it was going to burst. Toby was utterly baffled by this girl's sudden mood swing, but he was _pretty sure_ she was going to say yes judging on her facial expression.

"So…I was w-w-wondering if… W-will you marry me, M-Molly? I r-really love you a whole lot..." Toby's face was crimson again, but from shyness instead of terror. "I mean, you d-don't have to say 'yes' yet, bu-"' He was cut short by a kiss to his forehead.

"Of course I will, why would you think that I'd reject you? I love you so much…Tobes." She stuck her tongue out him. His face grew darker, but he was beaming at her, and laughing in utter joy. He laid his head on the hospital cot, and they both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

**A/N: Don't worry, there's still an epilogue to go! I really liked writing this chapter, I hope you guys like it too. : ) **


	11. Epilogue! Life is Beautiful

**Epilogue**

Molly stood in front of her full length mirror in her wedding dress, staring at herself from head to toe over and over again. The dress she had worn for the fireworks festival paled in comparison to this gown. Candace and Luna giggled as they watched her swish the bottom part around, beaming. She could not stop telling them that their work was absolutely wonderful, brilliant, gorgeous, stunning, and lovely. The compliments didn't stop there, though.

"Come on, Molly, stop checking yourself out and look over here! I need to do your makeup." Luna grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into a chair. The bride-to-be sighed agitatedly and sat still as Luna started to decorate her face as if it was a canvas.

"Don't go overboard on the makeup, okay? I don't want to look like a clown on my wedding day." The pink haired girl nodded, still concentrating on Molly's face. Candace had been sitting in a chair by Angela's chair, admiring the engagement ring on her finger. Apparently, Toby's proposal gave Julius the initiative to propose to Candace. They had been in love for years, and _she_ confessed to _him_. One would think that Julius, one of the most forward people on the island, would say it without a problem.

However! When it came to love, he was shy. He'd twiddle his thumbs when he talked to Candace, and often exploded at her out of frustration from not being able to tell her about his feelings.

"Alright bride, look at yourself in the mirror _now_." Luna said with a smug grin, proud of her work. Expecting the worst, Molly slowly turned to look at herself. She, the humble farmer girl, looked like one of the models she saw in city magazines. Her dress was whitish lavender, complimenting the eye makeup hat had been applied. Tears threatened to flood her eyes, but she fanned herself and they retreated. "Okay, so… We have to be at the church in twenty minutes. Let's get going! Candace, pull your head out of the clouds, we've gotta go." Candace jumped at the sudden remark, and nodded.

Molly couldn't deny it; she was nervous. More nervous than she had ever been. Her heart was beating in her throat and her hands were shaking. She felt slightly ashamed, because she was never antsy. "_What happened to my confidence? Argh._"

"Guys?" The sisters looked at her. "W-what if I mess up? I could trip on the way to take his hand… or…or forget my vows! My throat is all dry, and look!" She held up her trembling hands.

"Calm down, calm down. You'll be fine once the wedding starts, I promise." Candace squeezed her hand reassuringly. Before Molly knew it, she was standing in front of the church. Luna and Candace had already gone in to sit down. She was well aware that Toby was at the end of the aisle, waiting for her. With a deep breath, she slowly walked towards her groom.

The wedding went off without a hitch as they said their "I do's" and kissed shyly in front of the rather large crowd. They cheered loudly and crowded the newlyweds when they stepped outside for pictures. Toby had never been happier in his life. This day would go down as the best day ever, for both of them. He never would have guessed that he would fall so deeply in love, let alone get married. But there he was, with the love of his life, hand in hand. By chance, they looked at each other and smiled, still the innocent couple they had always been. The crowd cheered louder at their sign of affection.

About two years later, Molly gave birth to twin girls; Lucie and Julia, who had been giving her a lot of a grief before they were born. Her belly was practically twice the size of Neptune, and needed constant assistance around the farm. Despite his "weak body", Toby helped her without whining. She loved him; he loved her, and life couldn't be any more beautiful.

**A/N: **_**Phew!**_** Oh man, this chapter was the hardest to write. I'm terrible at conveying nervousness, even though it's my most common emotion. I didn't want to this story to end, but dragging it on any longer would be a pain in the butt. I really, really, really hope you guys liked this story! I think I'm going to write a Gill story next, because I just love his prissy attitude sometimes. What do they call that around these parts? Tsundere? Something like that, right? I wonder if I could pull off a story for each of the bachelors in AP/ToT. Again, thanks for reading! : )**


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